


Ghosts of Knowledge

by ChangeTheCircumstances



Series: The Sins of an Empire [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, Force Ghosts, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Multi, Sith!Ahsoka, Sith!Barriss, more evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 09:37:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6849202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangeTheCircumstances/pseuds/ChangeTheCircumstances
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ahsoka, Rex, and Barriss search for a Sith holocron that leads to an interesting ghost of the past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghosts of Knowledge

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for anyone reading this series. Again, a standalone story but heavily reliant on Snapshots in the Dark. Please enjoy :)

Ahsoka, though she did enjoy some good conflict every now and then, was not for Obi-Wan’s want of chaos. On the Empire, she felt mostly neutral with no plan to be an integral part of it, though she was happy that her former Master and his family were well. She was more curious as to what was left of the Sith Empire, what could improve her own technique and enrich her knowledge in the Dark Side. So after the twins had been born, Ahsoka had left with Barriss and Rex in search of just that. Three years had passed and she had only come to find two objects. Nevertheless, it was not the quantity that mattered but the substance. And besides, both journeys had been incredibly interesting and fun.

The first object was an ancient weapon known as a Sith lanvarok. Mounted on the wrist, it projected razor sharp disks that were usually poison coated. If used right, it could cut someone into ribbons. Ahsoka did some tinkering of her own with the designs and pictures she’d found, improving some small flaws until it was perfect. She’d given it to Rex after she was done.

The second object had been a journal that had thought to have been lost with time. It was the retelling of Darth Malgus’ life and much could be gleamed from its old pages. One particular passage interested her though as Malgus talked of a Sith holocron. Now if only Ahsoka could get her hands on that.

After absorbing all that she could from it, she’d passed the journal onto Barriss who was particularly curious about Malgus.

Now they were searching for the Sith holocron that had been mentioned in Malgus’ text. They’d been traveling for several months now, gathering all that they could from each passing whisper, each faded word and crumbling ruin. Ahsoka did not mind how long it was taking though as there was a great deal of enjoyment in simply having her apprentice and her clone with her.

Some might have thought her bitter over Barriss trying to frame and kill her but Ahsoka wasn’t in the slightest. She fed off of Barriss’ guilt and regret from the event and had taken the potential that had practically been dropped in front of her. Besides, Barriss had interested her for quite a time and when they’d both been padawans of the Jedi, she’d been there for her on multiple occasions. It would have been a waste to kill her.

And Rex, even if he had fought her all the way, he would have still been with her now. Ahsoka had known there was a connection with the Captain, even if he’d been not as ready to admit it. Rex had certainly taken more work, particularly when she’d knocked him unconscious and stolen him from a battlefield. He hadn’t been to pleased about that. But it had been a necessity and ultimately, had worked in her favor.

Now, their ship was on course to another planet, hurdling through hyperspace as Barriss and Rex remained wrapped around her. Barriss’ hand slowly caressed Ahsoka’s thigh as Rex’s rough lips kissed her neck. Ahsoka hummed, her hands gliding over Rex’s muscles as she used the Force to do much the same with Barriss.

Pulling Rex’s head up, she kissed him and bit at his lips, staining her own red in the process. She then turned away and pulled Barriss closer, kissing her slow and deep and still tasting of metal.

“We have three more hours until we drop out of hyperspace,” Rex murmured, returning to her neck before moving down to her clavicle.

Barriss brought a hand around Ahsoka and softly stroked Rex’s back. “That should give us plenty of time,” she whispered and then began to kiss her way down Ahsoka’s back.

A wide grin spread across Ahsoka’s face as she arched and let out a satisfied sigh.

From there, they finished in the bed only for Ahsoka to drag both to the refresher, water running down their bodies as Rex held Barriss, her hips pressed against his as Ahsoka ran soap and water down Barriss’ back. She simultaneously used the Force to stroke Rex’s cock as he thrust into Barriss and then held them both right on the edge, forms quivering as Ahsoka kissed them all over, lingering on the scars the most, some of which she’d made herself.

After the refresher, they got dressed and Ahsoka went to the cockpit of their ship. It looked like they’d be arriving within twenty minutes.

The planet they were headed for now was supposedly the resting place of the Sith holocron but they had gone to many planets that had allegedly been its grave. Either through false information or the simple fact that it had moved over the centuries was anyone’s guess, but Ahsoka knew not to get her hopes up and became more focused on what they would do when they didn’t find it.

Still, when they dropped out of hyperspace, Ahsoka could tell this planet was different. Its ties to the Force were strong, both in the Light and Dark, and it only grew as they went through the atmosphere. It took several days of simply speaking amongst the locals before they were given a proper destination. An old Sith Temple that had long been abandoned.

Traveling took four more standard days and as they grew closer, the affects of the Dark Side were made clear as the landscape grew more and more dreary, the animals more violent, and the star that the planet orbited more and more dim.

Even though Ahsoka doubted the holocron would be there, the buildup told her that the temple would be a worthwhile place and there was a very real possibility that more could be gained than just one artifact.

When they arrived at the ruin itself, it took them a moment to find the entrance as the temple had, either on purpose or due to the planet’s natural movement, found its way underground and out of sight from the galaxy.

They moved rubble and rocks aside before dropping into a large hallway. Moving through the temple that had now become a tomb, Ahsoka saw paintings had been put upon the walls depicting great battles, some familiar and some not.

Rex’s gaze lingered on a rather graphic scene as two Sith were in the middle of tearing apart someone.

“I’d hate to be that guy.”

“Don’t worry,” Barriss, assured him, “we’ll be careful with anything we pull.”

“I would like to state that I enjoy having all of my appendages on me at all times.”

Ahsoka laughed gleefully and the three continued down the hall. They found a few skeletons, most familiar but a few suggested species that Ahsoka had never seen and might very well be extinct. She cataloged everything she came across, taking scans that she could analyze back on the ship, when they finally came to a door that they could not open.

Some passages had required uses of the Force to move into them but both Ahsoka and Barriss had already tried multiple techniques and still it wouldn’t budge. The Force was strongly tied to the door for some reason and oddly enough, more so with the Light. They looked for a lever or some mechanism to get the door open but there was nothing.

“Maybe it’s a trick,” Rex finally sighed. “Made to look like a door but really isn’t.”

“Why would anyone do that?” asked Barriss.

“I don’t know. Throw us off. Maybe there was some old ward in place that would have attacked us while we waited around, trying to figure this out.”

Ahsoka shook her head. “If that’s true, the creature is long since dead and I don’t sense any mechanical traps. But this has to be a door. There is something on the other side. I can sense it.”

She tried again, drawing on her frustration and turning it into rage as she pushed and pulled and delved into the object, anything to just—

“It is a lost cause.”

Rex’s movement was instinctive and the disk that shot from the lanvarok should have sliced the speaker’s head off. Instead, it passed through the blue form. Barriss drew her sabers and Rex grabbed his blaster but Ahsoka stopped them both.

For a moment, Ahsoka simply studied the form. There was something oddly familiar about the face, like she’d seen a holo of it somewhere, but she focused more on the feeling she was getting from it.

“Put down your weapons,” Ahsoka finally murmured. “They won’t work.”

Barriss slowly did as addressed though Rex was a bit more reluctant. If he couldn’t use his weapons then he was considerably weaker and Rex definitely didn’t like that feeling. Nevertheless, Ahsoka fed off of the fear and held her head high as she continued to examine the figure.

“What are you doing in a place like this? You’re pure Light,” Ahsoka said. “I find it odd that you would find a home in these ruins.”

“Not a home. A temporary resting place,” the figure replied. “I have followed you Ahsoka Tano, among others, and know why you’ve come.”

Her eyes sparkled. “So there is a Sith holocron.”

“Yes, but you will not take it.”

“I find it amusing that you think you can stop me,” Ahsoka replied.

“It is not that farfetched. I was the Master of your Master’s Master.”

It took Ahsoka a moment to wrap her head around the confusing words but then it clicked and her eyes widened. “Qui-Gon Jinn.”

Both Barriss and Rex jolted, recognizing the name instantly.

“I did go by that name in life. Now I am one with the Force.”

“The Living Force,” Ahsoka responded.

“Something which is stronger than the Unifying Force.”

Ahsoka smirked. “I find that hard to believe.”

“It is true. My essence is focused here, my individual nature held together, but I have seen the galaxy and what it has become. But pillars of Light still exist, only growing stronger in the wake of the Empire.”

“Perhaps, but they will fall like everything else,” Ahsoka replied, her voice strong and sure. “But I am more interested how you know my name.”

“As I said, I have seen all that has happened. And I have followed my broken legacy quite closely.”

“Broken? If I remember correctly, Obi-Wan killed Sidious for you.”

“It was an act I did not ask for,” Qui-Gon said softly and his blue form dulled slightly as he bowed his head in sorrow.

“Obi-Wan cared about you dearly. Still does in fact. It’s because of you that all this came to pass.”

“No, he cared about himself,” argued Qui-Gon, “himself and his need for revenge. It twisted his heart black and spread it like a disease.”

“Well, in that case it’s a very useful disease,” Ahsoka replied. “Tell me, if you can be anywhere in the galaxy, why show yourself here?”

“I have seen the wreckage you leave behind and have intervened where I could. But this holocron would only increase that destructive nature. I am here to stop that,” replied Qui-Gon. “I would suggest you leave now. A Sith presence was left in the door, meant to be defeated before it could be opened. I defeated it. You will not defeat me.”

“It wouldn’t just be me. I have another Sith with me,” Ahsoka said.

“That is of little matter. The Light is stronger. Even so, I have the whole of the Force at my back. You narrow yourselves by focusing on the negatives and selfish needs.”

Ignoring the second sentence, Ahsoka simply replied, “If you claim you are as strong as you are, then why have you not attacked?”

“I will only engage if it becomes necessary.”

“Well that’s no fun,” purred Ahsoka.

Qui-Gon ignored the quip and simply replied, “Turn away now. There is still hope for you to return to the Light if you do.”

That actually caused a laugh to creep out of Ahsoka’s mouth, slow, low, and then it grew loud and high pitched. “Return to the Light?! Do you really think that? Let me guess, it’s because you still see it in me, right? Well I’ve got news for you. I know it’s there, nestled in the black. It holds what I feel for Skyguy, what I feel for Barriss and Rex. Anakin has it, a very pure Light that is what he feels for his family. Even Obi-Wan has it, for Cody and Bail and even Satine and yourself, the old sentimentalist. We know there is Light in us but it doesn’t matter. We use that Light and that love to make our passion and our fire burn even hotter. We may have Light but it only makes the Dark more powerful. In all that you see, can you see that?”

He turned silent, simply staring at her, before bowing his head again as he murmured, “Yes. I am sorry for what must follow.”

And like that, Ahsoka, Barriss, and Rex were thrown against the far wall. Ahsoka hissed at the pain. She felt the anger inside her grow and threw up her hands, counterattacking Qui-Gon’s next move. Barriss did the same and Ahsoka took advantage of the moment to go and protect Rex when—

He was still and unmoving.

Unable to pull her concentration from the fight to see if he was still breathing, Ahsoka’s aurora exploded like a wave.

“ _How dare you_?!” she screeched. Her hands became a flurry as her rage grew. It only became more poignant when Barriss fell.

But as Barriss’ head hit the ground, it made Ahsoka connect what was happening. Her fury was power that she was letting control her instead of the other way around. She had to take charge if she was going to win this battle, if she was going to protect Rex and Barriss. Instead of just throwing everything she had at Qui-Gon, she started to focus in on his form. She felt the pieces of the Force that held him together and as she pulled them apart, she drew her power from Barriss and Rex, from every kill that she had ever made, from her love for her former Master and the twins, from her hatred of Sidious and the harm that he had done Obi-Wan, from the affection and mentorship that Padmé had offered. Every emotion pulled forth, every burning memory that brought forwards new power, she held it all in her hands and wedged it between the particles that made up Qui-Gon’s form. She did not allow herself to become animalistic but acted as she had with her pleasure kills, going systematically to create the biggest effect as a part of herself moved in between every particle that made up Qui-Gon. And then she let out all of it in one, red filtered explosion. It moved outwards in waves, hard enough for the entire temple to shake. A flash of light and—

Nothing. She could still feel him, she had not destroyed him completely, but it would take time for him to put himself back together if he could even retain his autonomy in the Force now. But more importantly, his hold on the door had vanished along with his blue form. The door rose but Ahsoka didn’t focus on that as she ran to Rex first.

She held him close and looked him over before kissing him and emptying part of the still remaining energy inside her. She went and pulled Barriss close and did the same. She could feel her own form draining, the well of power that she had just held drying up, but she would utterly empty herself if she had to. If only too—

Barriss breathed first, her form arching off the ground before she fell back like she’d been shocked. Ahsoka smoothed her hair out of her face but then turned back to Rex. Still nothing had changed and she emptied more of herself into him, even when arms began to shake and her ears could no longer process whatever Barriss was saying. And then she collapsed, falling over Rex’s chest.

She only stopped though when she felt the hand, calloused by the continuous use of a blaster, grip her hard and shake her and the connection snapped off and all tension in Ahsoka’s form eased away.

It took a moment for her to hear any words but eventually Rex’s became clearer.

“You’re a fucking idiot! What the hell were you thinking?! You could have killed yourself. For me! Why the hell…”

Rex continued to yell at her but Ahsoka didn’t mind, relaxing in his grip as he adjusted himself and held her close.

When her voice finally came to again, she interrupted his tirade with, “Like your brother said. If one falls we all fall. You’re not allowed to fall unless we all go together.”

Rex sighed, finally stopping in his shouting to whisper, “Still was stupid thing to do.”

“But worth it,” murmured Ahsoka.

She then felt Barriss’ hand on hers, pressing something into it. She hadn’t realized Barriss had left yet she must have as Ahsoka felt the crevices in the object.

“You saved us,” Barriss said, “you defeated the Light, defeated your grandmaster, and you found the holocron. I think it was a fairly successful day, hmm?”

Ahsoka giggled and Barriss quickly joined in. She felt Rex give a sigh of resignation as he relaxed as well.

Barriss added, “That was still stupid though. Don’t do that again Ahsoka.”

“Excuse me, who is the Master here?” replied Ahsoka.

“Currently the one who can walk, which isn’t you,” Barriss replied with a quick kiss.

Ahsoka giggled again, the feeling that was running through her a mix between sleep deprivation and being drunk. Rex simply picked her up in his arms as he and Barriss began to make their way out of the temple. Ahsoka relaxed against his chest, letting out a content sigh as she played with the Sith holocron in her hand. She did have to agree with Barriss.

It had been a successful day.


End file.
